Cyber Acoustics AC-401 Headset Review

As we spend more time communicating through electronic means it's not surprising to see an increase of gadgets designed to improve the experience. When it comes to audio, most of the attention in consumer devices gets spent on the listening experience. 5.1 surround sound has become a standard, but what average user even has the capability to record in stereo? Yet the quantity of audio content produced by average users should not be ignored. Online videos, music, conferencing, chatting and gaming are on the rise. Cyber Acoustics is one company that has recognized a need for improved audio quality produced by the average user. The Cyber Acoustics AC-401 Circumaural Speech Recognition Stereo Headset uses 'Direct Noise Canceling Technology' to reduce background noise so you can be heard loud and clear. Benchmark Reviews brings out the scale to see how this headset weighs-in.

Direct Noise Canceling Technology (DNCT) is similar to Noise Cancellation Technology (NCT). Noise-canceling headphones, another example of technology designed to improve the listening experience of the end user, use an external mic to listen to the ambient noise and feed the "opposite" noise into the phones thereby canceling out the ambient noise. This allows the audio from the earphones to be heard more clearly. But this won't help if the audio is already poor quality.

Capturing higher quality sound is exactly what the AC-401 was designed to do. DNCT is designed to reduce the amount of ambient noise captured by the microphone to give clearer recordings. It has one obvious microphone, adjustable headband, padded earphones, in-line volume control and a swiveling, flexible mic boom. Since the AC-401 has only one obvious mic, how can it tell the difference between intentional noise and background noise, and does it really work?

About Cyber Acoustics

"The technology leader in affordable computer audio (speakers, headsets, microphones and headphones) dating back to the mid 80's, Cyber Acoustics' engineers and award winning research and development team are among the founders of the multimedia speaker industry. Every product has been designed to surpass the consumer's expectations both in terms of audio performance and in value.

"Today, Cyber Acoustics is focused on music solutions, not only for the computer, but for the iPod, Zune, and other WMV and MP3 players as well.

"It's about building smart equipment that is intuitive and flexible in use. It's less about wattage and frequency response rates, and more about what you know sounds great - and they just plain work the way you expect them to.

Comments

I use these for gaming and music and think they sound great. Good stereo seperation. I don't have experience with the expensive brands but these sound a lot better than you would think for the price...